A fast-expanding Cornish brewery has exceeded £4 million sales for the first time in 2011.

Skinner’s Brewery’s best-ever year has seen turnover rise by around 12 per cent, partly through another increase in activity nationwide.

Chief Executive Steve Skinner attributes the record year to his team.

“Our 30 strong team have worked enormously hard to win this success. Their commitment and dedication is absolutely outstanding, I am extremely proud of our staff.”

The team effort has produced great results for the Truro-based brewery, despite the tough economic climate.

“Over the last three years, we have achieved a very exciting breakthrough in sales at national level. Since mid-2009, our ales have been on sale at all Waitrose’s UK stores and we are now also selling in around a quarter of all Tesco’s UK stores. In addition, we have our pre-existing national arrangements through Coors and Wetherspoons,” said Mr Skinner.

He added: “These developments have convinced us that we still have a long way to go in terms of tapping our full potential at national level rather than just in our traditional Cornish ‘home territory.’

“Our best-seller, Betty Stogs, was judged Champion Best Bitter of Great Britain in 2008. This led to a sustained higher profile for that product in particular and we feel the time is right now to ‘go for it’ on the bigger stage.”

The Betty Stogs brand is now fronting an expanded sales and marketing campaign, with the ‘Betty’ imagery adorning specially adapted vehicles now in use by newly-appointed sales representatives covering Devon, Bath and Bristol. These representatives are the first to be based outside Cornwall for the company.

Betty Stogs accounts for around 60 per cent of Skinners’ turnover, of which approximately 25 per cent is outside Cornwall.

“Our national success is extremely encouraging, but the lion’s share of our sales remains here in Cornwall,” said Mr Skinner. “We are a truly Cornish company and this is where our main focus will continue.”

Last year Skinner’s increased storage capacity by 50 per cent when it acquired an adjacent site previously occupied by Truro Farm Machinery and withdrew from “satellite” locations at Chacewater and Devoran.

Article Taken from This is Gloucestershire

Sharp’s Brewery is working with Truro-based H2OK Water and Energy to expand its production capacity and reduce its impact on the environment through a £1million investment in green technology.

Work has begun on the first phase of an anaerobic digestion system at the brewery in Rock. The project to install the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), which sees waste liquid from the brewery go through a three-stage treatment process, installed by H2OK. Sharp’s will become the first brewery in the south west to use this form of technology.

Once the capacity has been unlocked, the brewery plans to invest in a second phase, which will see the waste products being turned into biogas to provide heat and power at the site, reducing the liquid waste being sent to the local water treatment plant by 80%.

In order to deliver the project, which will be completed by April, H2OK has partnered with Dutch company, Nijhuis, a leading technology provider in the industrial effluent and anaerobic digestion fields. H2OK and Sharp’s Brewery will also create a new position on site to manage the system full time.

Sharp’s general manager Emma Bebbington commented: “The anaerobic digestion system is a big step forward in helping us to become one of the most environmentally friendly breweries in the UK. ”

Palmers Brewery has become the UK’s first small brewery to be awarded the Cask Marque’s Distributor Charter.

The achievement acknowledges its skill in distributing real ale, including to the 54 pubs in the brewery’s chain.

All Palmers pubs already boast Cask Marque awards for looking after and serving quality cask ale.

Tim Woodrow, Palmers’ tenanted trade director, said the Charter complemented what they had already done in their pubs.

He said: “Real ale is a live product and there are lots of things which can change the quality of that product, if you’re not careful, so it’s terribly important to follow a strict regime and that’s what we’re about.

“We take personal pride in properly handling cask-conditioned ale and we’re very pleased to be awarded the Charter.”

He added: “It cements the standards we expect of ourselves.”

To view the full story go to:  View online

John Glen MP, Robert Buckland MP, Simon Cole Braydon Ales, James Gray MP, Paul Harrison Braydon Ales, Stephen Metcalfe MP, Dave Dodd Braydon Ales

“On tasting of RWB (Royal Wootton Bassett Ale) I immediately proposed it for the Strangers’ Bar in Parliament so that MPs from other parts of the country can also enjoy this fine North Wiltshire real ale. Earlier this week, I was delighted to welcome Braydon Ales, an outstanding local microbrewery, to the House of Commons. As a strong supporter of real ales, I believe responsible real ale drinking in pubs is to be supported and I have no hesitation in recommending RWB over any cut-price, high-alcohol beverages found in supermarkets,” said North Wiltshire MP James Gray.

Braydon Ales’ beer RWB is currently being enjoyed by MPs and guests in the House of Commons Strangers’ Bar, where North Wiltshire MP James Gray hosted a tasting reception in the evening of Tuesday 13th December. Some 20 MPs of different political persuasions, including the Leader of the House Sir George Young, attended the tasting and all joined in congratulating Braydon Ales on producing a beer that is most enjoyable and easy to drink.

During the evening, Mr Gray presented Dave Dodd, Paul Harrison and Simon Cole, from Braydon Ales with lapel pin badges of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, which promotes the wholesomeness and enjoyment of beer and the unique role of the pub in our society.

Simon Cole from Braydon Ales and landlord of the Five Bells in Royal Wootton Bassett said: “We simply could not let the special occasion of the Royal naming of the town pass without marking it in the most effective way we were able, by brewing a beer. RWB was very well received by drinkers at the time, and we’re proud and delighted to have it served in the Strangers’ Bar and so obviously enjoyed by the MPs. Our thanks to James for arranging the reception.”

Braydon Ales, a microbrewery located between Royal Wootton Bassett and Lyneham, is owned and operated by three friends who all live in Royal Wootton Bassett. They developed RWB, a 4% light copper coloured ale triple hopped and with a gentle bitter aftertaste, as a special ale to mark the award of the Letters Patent to Wootton Bassett in October.

Demand for the beer is such that it will now be added to the others that Braydon Ales brew on a regular basis, namely YerTiz, PotWalloper, Galley-Bagger and Gert Ale.

All Hands to the Pumps!

The push to get MPs behind the bar to support the pub trade received a boost this week as Baths local brewery Abbey Ales— backed the campaign.

The initiative, launched by the head of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group — Burton MP Andrew Griffiths — and backed by the Publican’s Morning Advertiser newspaper, urged MPs to support the trade by getting behind the bar.

Griffiths said the initiative will give publicans a chance to build a relationship with their local MPs and allow them to discuss the issues affecting their businesses.

With this in mind Bath MP Don Foster, member of the APPG Beer Group, has promised to get behind the bar at Abbeys Assembly Inn. Situated in Alfred Street, The Assembly is one of three pubs run by the brewery in the city alongside The Star Inn and The Coeur De Lion.

Alan Morgan, Managing Director of Abbey Ales said:

“Don has always been very supportive of Abbey Ales and Bath’s pub trade in general”

“In fact Don was so impressed with Bellringer he arranged for it to be sold as a guest beer at House of Commons just days after we launched in 1997. We will be pleased to have him behind the bar with us on Thursday afternoon on December 22 at 3 o’clock.

“Issues such as record levels of red tape and beer tax need addressing if we are to help protect this great British institution and promote responsible drinking — our MPs can help make that happen.”

Commenting further, Don said:

“Pubs are a key aspect of our culture, history and modern society; however they are increasingly under threat with approximately 39 pubs closing every week across the country.

“In Bath we must ensure we do all we can to support these fantastic institutions that are so valuable to the city.”

Abbey Ales is Baths only brewery and started brewing in the World Heritage City of Bath in 1997.

A TV programme screened on Monday documenting a brewery’s efforts to claim the name ‘Dartmoor’ as its own has provoked phenomenal reaction.

Click here to read the full story from the Times

Butcombe, the West Country’s fastest growing Brewery, has more than doubled its volume of bottled beer sales over the past twelve months.   Recognising the importance and potential for growth in this key sector of the business, the Brewery has launched a dedicated bottled beer website.  The new site provides much more than product and availability details.   Browsers can view independent reports, guides and trends on the bottled ale business as a whole.  Butcombe is also launching a new initiative via the website, to encourage independent retailers to sell more bottled ales with its ‘Recommended Retailer Award’. 

The scheme will support and reward the best retailers and aims to encourage best practise.  The new initiative is supported by Booker Wholesale – Butcombe’s exclusive wholesale partner.  Interested retailers can obtain an entry form by visiting the website:  http://www.butcombebottles.com

Those that receive accreditation will receive a number of benefits; promotion on the Butcombe bottled ale website, exclusive promotional deals via Booker Wholesale, a potential year end Butcombe brewery visit for staff, a prize presentation as well as a ‘Butcombe Recommended Retailer’ plaque to be displayed in the outlet.

 The criteria includes the retailer offering a dedicated range of bottled ales with a minimum of ten different choices, a minimum of five local or regional products and to permanently stock at least two Butcombe ales.

Guy Newell, managing director of Butcombe Brewery explains: “The off-trade sector has grown phenomenally for us over the past year and launching a dedicated site pays tribute to that growth.  Whilst we hope to sell more of our own ales through this new initiative, it also supports the bottled ale category as a whole, as we are encouraging retailers to stock a wider range”.  

For further information on all Butcombe Brewery’s beers, visit http://www.butcombe.com or follow Butcombe Brewery on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Butcombe-Brewery

An independent Bristol brewery has won one of the UK’s top food and drink awards, recognising not just its beers but its role in regenerating South Bristol.

The Bristol Beer Factory in Southville has won the ‘Best Drinks Producer’ in the BBC Food and Farming Awards, the ‘Oscars’ of the industry.

The award was presented at a ceremony last night and the brewery will be included in a special awards programme to be aired on BBC Radio Four at 12 noon on Friday (25^th November).

The shortlisted entrants were decided on votes from the public and the winners by an expert panel of judges chaired by chef and restauranteur Richard Corrigan.

The judges liked the fact that the Bristol Beer Factory is at the heart of the community in Southville and Ashton and central to the regeneration of the area. They also loved the Brewery’s ‘Twelve Stouts of Christmas’ idea of a dozen beers specially-created to celebrate the festive season, including one made with fresh raspberries, which are being launched this Saturday (26^th November).

George Ferguson, founder of the Bristol Beer Factory says: “We see this as an accolade for Bristol and the craft beer industry as a whole and feel very lucky to be representing independent brewers up and down the country who put so much care and attention into producing high quality craft beers.”

“We strongly believe that independent local businesses, whatever they are, are capable of producing higher quality products and services than national mass-producers and they make a vital contribution to the local economy supporting local suppliers and investing proceeds into the area.”

Chair of judges Richard Corrigan said about the winners: “They are working hard to save some of our greatest craft skills and artisinal traditions and reflect where Britiain is today and give us optimism for our future.”

Bristol Beer Factory was founded six years ago after a chance conversation in the Tobacco Factory, when George Ferguson decided to buy the building which now houses the brewery, which was then under threat. Originally known as the Ashton Gate Brewery, which boasted 120 pubs in the area, it was closed after Georges Brewery took it over in 1933 and the building stood empty since then. Initially unsure about what to do with it, George came up with the idea of returning it to brewing over a drink in the bar of the Tobacco Factory over the road.

The BBF started out as a traditional brewer but in the past couple of years has moved to the forefront of the craft brewing industry.

George continues: “As an architect interested in place-making, I believe that beer-making, along with great good, can play an important role in regenerating an area. Pubs have always been the heart of any community and we feel there should be local beers to go in them. But it’s not just about the ales we create, it’s also about being part of the local community and local economy. Like other independent brewers, we’re not aiming to be the biggest, but strive to be the best we can.”

The Bristol Beer Factory is having an Open Day at the brewery this Saturday to launch their ‘Twelve Stouts of Christmas’, with beers to sample, specially made ‘beery’ food, brewery tours and goodies to buy for Christmas.

Chris Minter, Local Marketing Manager - South, Tesco, Adam Henson and Butcombe’s Retail Director, Martin Holland outside Tesco Cheltenham

Butcombe, the West Country’s fastest growing Brewery, has more than doubled its volume of bottled beer sales over the past twelve months.   The Brewery’s latest initiative has seen them join forces with famous television presenter and partner of The Cotswold Farm Park, Adam Henson.  Together, they have used the finest local ingredients: Maris Otter malting barley, aromatic Herefordshire hops and Mendip spring water, to create this distinctive refreshing and clean tasting golden ale – Adam Henson’s Rare Breed.

Adam Henson’s Rare Breed will be launching in bottle within the fifty largest Tesco stores in the South West as well as within all Booker’s 150 England and Wales Depots from mid-November 2011.  It will be available on draught from the 1^st January 2012  through Butcombe’s own retail estate and the local Free Trade. Heineken will be promoting Adam Henson’s Rare Breed nationally throughout the month of February.

Chris Minter, Local Marketing Manager – South, Tesco says; “We are delighted to be able to offer another Butcombe product in the form of Adam Henson’s Rare Breed ale, it’s great to be working with such an enthusiastic team and with Adam’s pedigree we have very high hopes for the success of this launch.”

Guy Newell, Managing Director, Butcombe Brewery says; “Having Adam’s name on the beer will appeal to the millions of people who watch him regularly on the television and his endorsement is likely to introduce many new consumers not only to Rare Breed but also the rest of the Butcombe range.”

For further information on all Butcombe Brewery’s beers, visit http://www.butcombe.com